The present invention relates to a chronograph and, more particularly, a chronograph in which the start and stop of timing are automatically performed and a plurality of times of competitors may be measured through measuring the passage of time between the start and stop.
Generally, a chronograph device records the lapsed time of more than one competitor by means of an additional second hand of which start and stop control is possible, like a stop watch, for example. Recently, various circuit techniques of electronic watches have been developed to provide chronographs operating with high precision using electronic circuits.
However, the timing of only one competitor is permitted by using one conventional electronic chronograph. This means that a plurality of chronographs must be used in a case where the times of a plurality of competitors must be simultaneously measured such as, for example, track or swimming. In this case, one timing person or operator is needed for each competitor. More adversely, the precision of the time difference between the first and second competitors, for example, depends largely on the performance of the chronographs used and the ability of the timing operators. On the other hand, the electronic chronograph enjoys an advantage that is can measure the time up to the 1/100 sec. with high precision. In order to record simultaneously a plurality of times with a single chronograph, therefore, a large number of counters must be used, resulting in a complex timing circuit.